The present invention relates to an inflatable umbrella, and more particularly to an improved, relatively lightweight umbrella having passage means and having a self-contained fluid reservoir for pressurizing the passage means and inflating the umbrella.
Heretofore in the art, umbrellas primarily employ a fabric or plastic covering and utilize metal ribs which hold the umbrella in an open shielding position and which collapse to form a closed, folded position. These metal ribs are generally expensive and difficult to manufacture and are destroyed if a gust of wind causes the umbrella to turn inside out. Moreover, as the metal ribs utilize considerable space and restrict the area beneath the canopy, they limit full utilization of the space beneath the canopy, for purposes of shielding one's head, shoulders, and substantial portions of one's body from inclement weather.
Umbrellas of the prior art include the following United States patents, all of which teach inflatable umbrellas having a pumping device or mechanism for inflating purposes, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 883,277; 1,411,560; 2,625,946; 2,753,878; 2,810,391; 2,827,066; 3,053,266 and 3,802,451. In all of the prior art references, the pump mechanism is a part of the handle of the umbrella.
Other United States patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,401,252; 2,679,256; 2,863,467; 3,361,145 and 3,683,947 pertain to inflatable umbrellas which are provided with an air valve by which the inflating fluid is admitted to inflate the umbrellas.
In yet another United States patents, umbrella structures are taught which are erected by ribs filled with air, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,364,631; 3,706,160; 3,863,661 and 3,889,700.
Of all of these references, none teach the novel use of a self-contained, built-in air reservoir comprising a sponge-like reservoir adapted to store air and release same upon pressure to a sealed chamber or passageway.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved umbrella construction, which is inflatable by air stored in a self-contained reservoir.
It is another object of the invention to provide an umbrella construction wherein the structure may comprise either a manual or automatic opening mechanism.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an umbrella construction which is relatively lightweight in construction, economical to manufacture and one which can be quickly and easily inflated when desired to be used.
Consequently, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an inflatable umbrella comprising a flexible canopy having at least one enclosed space adapted to be filled with a fluid for inflating the umbrella to an open condition. A self-contained compressible fluid reservoir containing a fluid supply commensurate with the enclosed space, and means are provided for compressing the reservoir, which may be either of the manual type or of the automatic type.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of figures of the drawings.